


Powerless Hakurei Tales 07.5:  Immaterial and Missing Power

by Carmichael_Micaalus



Series: Powerless Hakurei Tales [3]
Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 06:16:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15723657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmichael_Micaalus/pseuds/Carmichael_Micaalus
Summary: Gensokyo has been hit with an epidemic of Party Fever!  So many parties!  All the time!  Can Reimu find out the cause of Partytown Gensokyo, or will Detective Scarlet beat her to the punch?!





	Powerless Hakurei Tales 07.5:  Immaterial and Missing Power

Immaterial and Missing Power

 

“Arright…”  Mima grunted as she sat down at the table.  The rest of the group looked in her direction, save for Patchouli, who laid with her top half sprawled across the table.  “So did anyone find out anything useful about why the fuck there’s so many parties going on?”

A sad groan emerged from the collapsed magician.

“Well, we’ve yet to find what’s causing it,” Reimu admitted, “but we have been able to cut down on a few locations that are _not_ causing it… but I’m afraid that’s it.”

“Better than nothing, I suppose.”  The ghost sighed.

“After Alice lit a fire under our asses, we checked out the Forest of Magic, and the Scarlet Devil Mansion.”  Marisa nodded as the puppeteer entered, carrying plates of food for everyone. Shanghai and Hourai pulled Patchouli upright, only to be pulled down with her as she fell in the other direction.  Swearing and cursing could be heard from the doll in red as Alice set the table before sitting with everyone else.

“Okay, that explains what Lazisaurus Rex is doing here,”  Mima looked in Patchouli’s direction, “but wh-”

“Actually,” Marisa interrupted, a hard edge in her voice, “she’s here because of something she did.  Isn’t that _right_ , Patche?”

Another sad groan.  The ghost shook her head and sighed.

“Okay, but what about her?”  Mima pointed to Meiling, sitting at the table with Reimu in her lap.  The gate guard smiled as all heads turned towards her.

“Bored.”  She stated simply before returning to her food.

“Said something about not being paid in a timely fashion and not wanting to deal with the aftermath of what happened.”  Marisa returned her attention to the collapsed mage as she dug into her food. “ _Speaking of which…_ ”

“Arright, I’ll bite; what did she do?”

“U-um, when we were leav-”

“No no,” Marisa interrupted her sister, “let the guilty party talk.”

Patchouli slowly pushed herself upright, slouching horribly.  “When they were leaving the library, I was talking to Reimu about the possibilities of what could be going on, when Remilia overheard.”

There was a moment of silence.

“...and…?”  Mima prompted.

“...she… said not to worry, as she will investigate what is happening.”  Another short pause. “I am sorry.”

“ _Lamia insciens…_ ” The ghost growled, shaking her head.

“I’m still curious about this persistent mist.”  Alice chimed in.

“I am certain the mist is harmless.” Patchouli mumbled; it was clear she was exhausted from the day’s work forced upon her.

Mima pointed her chopsticks at the puppeteer.  “Arright, Alice: you, Patche, and Reimu go check out the mist tomorrow.  I’d recommend starting with the Library.”  She moved her chopsticks towards her daughter, “Marisa, you and Meiling go check out Hakugyokurou.  I don’t think the ghosts are at fault for this, but best to be sure… and just in case they know anything. Any questions?”

“Aw, I wanted to go with Reimu; can’t I go with her?”  Meiling asked in between bites.

“No.  If I send her with you, that mosquito is just going to put you back to work.  If you want to help with this, you should probably avoid your boss.” She started to take a bite, then paused.  “And before you ask, I need Reimu with the mages so they stay on task; I know better than to send them by themselves.  Send those three together and we’ll just end up with a non-directional master spark doll...”

With the gate guard falling quiet, Patchouli lodged her own protest.  “I fail to understand the purpose of researching the mist. Not to discredit Miss Margatroid’s concerns or curiosities, but I am rather certain it is harmless.”

Mima turned her attention to the purple-haired magician.  “Harmless is not the same as inert. It may not have any effect on us or things as far as we know, but it may still lead to what is causing this.  It may be a catalyst to it, or a byproduct of what goin’ on. Perhaps it acts as someone’s surveillance system. Find out whatever you can about it.”

Before anyone else could ask a question, she pointed her chopsticks back and forth between the other two living with her.  “Normally I don’t split Reimu from Marisa, but I know my kid’s reputation with the library. Normally, that still wouldn’t be enough for me to give a shit.  However,” she pointed at the puppeteer, “ _you_ have proven how much you care about her.  Therefore, I’m counting on _you_ to keep her safe.  I know Patchouli’s the master of the library, but you have a missing gate guard, and Remi gets… _weird_ when she gets a hair up her ass like this.”

Alice looked between Marisa and Mima.  “I will protect her with my life.”

“Thank you.”  Mima glanced at her daughter.  “Marisa, I know it isn’t your forté, but try to be diplomatic with the ghosts.  Just… channel your sister or somethin’.”

The human magician closed her eyes and sighed.  “I always get stuck with the hard jobs.”

“Don’t worry, Marisa!”  Reimu clenched her fists and smiled.  “I have faith in you!”

“And don’t forget…”  Meiling leaned close to her new partner and dropped her voice to a stage whisper, as if to hide what she was saying from the girl in her lap,“martial arts are a form of diplomacy, too!”

“Meiling, no…!”

“Don’t worry kiddo, I’ll be good.” Marisa smiled.  “After all, Mima’s still working on my new death ward…”

 

* * *

 

“Here are the books you requested, magisters~!”  Reimu set a stack of books next to the two as Koakuma removed what they had used.  Hourai continued to sit on Reimu’s shoulder, holding the shrine maiden’s collar to steady herself.

“Okay, she _does_ look very adorable in that.”  Alice smiled at the shrine maiden in her librarian garb.  “I heard about it from Marisa, but…”

“Mm, that one was _not_ happy about that glamour, that is for certain.”  Patchouli sipped her tea as she opened one of the new tomes.  The puppeteer glanced at the other magician.

“Oh, that’s just a spell?”  She turned back to Reimu, peering intently at the girl.

“D-did you need anything else, Miss Alice?”

“Ah!”  The blonde magician jumped and looked at the shrine maiden in the face, blushing slightly.  “Yes, I believe I just need the tome of Monstrous Transportation.”

“That should just be a few shelves over.”  The owner of the librarian murmured, waving behind Alice.

“Okee-doke!  I shall be back in just a moment.”

“You know, I believe I can make a few actual outfits for her…” The puppeteer mused as Reimu headed off.  The shrine maiden could hear sudden interest in Patchouli’s voice as she rounded the corner of the bookshelf.

While large portions of the library were rather dangerous due to the concentrated power held within the various grimoires, Patchouli had made certain to keep the shelves around her study areas safe.  The esoteric ordering system for arcane and divine writings was part of the reason, but mostly it was to keep any accidents in a study area from cascading across the entire library and possibly into Gensokyo proper.

“There it is,” the doll pointed with her free hand, “fourth shelf, near the m- there ya go.”

“Yay, thanks Hourai!”

“Hm, what do we have here?”  A voice called out from behind them.  “A theft, perhaps? A petty burglar in our midst?”

Reimu turned around to see Remilia wearing a deerstalker hat and a brown trench coat, holding a magnifying glass up to the two.  Hourai muttered a curse under her breath as she gripped her temples.

“Hello Lady Remilia!  How are you?”

Putting her magnifying glass away, the vampire gave her a haughty look.  “I, Detective Scarlet, am on the case of Partytown: Gensokyo! I shall solve this incident before anyone else has a chance to, thus making _me_ the star of the party tomorrow!”

“O-oh!  That’s nice!”  Reimu smiled. “Well, Miss Alice and Miss Patchouli are currently doing some research on the incident as well; have you had a chance to compare notes with them?”

Remilia continued to hold her pose.

Hourai coughed.

“ _I'_ _m_ solving the case.”  The vampire thumped her own chest.  “ _Me._  Not _t_ _hose_ jokers.  Why, they couldn’t even find their bottoms with both hands!”

“U-u-um, o-okay.”  Reimu took a step back.

“And _I_ shall be the star.”  She took a step towards the shrine maiden.  Reimu retreated another step.

“W-well, I wish you luck on that!  I better get this book back to Miss Alice and Mi-”

“Un~fortunately Reimu, you tend to gather everyone around you…” Remilia continued to advance, “and as the star, I can’t have that.  And so, we must duel~”

“I-I-I r-r-really can’t fight, Lady Remilia!”  Reimu moved quicker to keep her distance. “I really won’t provide a decent fight like you’re hoping for!”

“Well, then it shall be over quick, now won’t it?”  Remilia smiled. “Now if you hold still, this’ll be over even quickAACK!”  The vampire gagged as invisible threads pulled tight against her throat. As she attempted to grab what choked her, a dozen dolls descended around her, each holding a weapon.

“Miss… Remilia Scarlet, was it?”  Alice hissed, emerging from the shadows from behind the vampire.  “I believe you and I need to chat. But first, the battle you desired.  Don’t worry… if you hold still,” The puppeteer slowly clenched her left fist, drawing the strings around Remilia tighter.  “Then it will be over quick.”

She squeezed her right fist.  The dolls moved.

 

“Honestly Remi,”  Patchouli sighed, shaking her head, “accosting the little Hakurei.  I understand you have been plagued with boredom, but that is no excuse to take it out on her, of all people.”

“I- I wasn’t…” Remilia mumbled.  The vampire sat at table across from her magician friend; her new outfit in shambles.  After their short battle, Alice had tied her to the table in an attempt to keep her from causing more trouble.  “I wasn’t going to _really_ fight her.  I was just playing around with the girl is all.”

“I suggest you find a less hazardous game to play with Reimu.”  Alice stated through clenched teeth, looking through the book the shrine maiden had fetched.  “If you are ever allowed to play with her again, that is.”

“Oh go piss up a rope, puppeteer!”  Remilia shot back. “You did the same to her!  Sakuya told me all about it!”

The blonde magician’s eyes flicked towards the vampire.  “Except I did it in clear view of her guardians, with plenty of space between Reimu and I.  You, however, waited until she was separated, and believed us to be busy.” She looked at the book once more.  “Now if you’re done pretending to have the moral high ground, either look for what Patchouli asked of you in that book, or be silent.”

“Afternoon, everyone.  I have brought you a light lunch to help with your studying.”  Sakuya announced as she and her tray of food appeared out of nowhere.  The group’s mood lightened as Alice and Patchouli moved aside their notes to make room for sustenance.

“Thank you, Miss Sakuya!”  Reimu beamed as the maid set the food for everyone.

“You’re welcome… ah, Master!”  The maid smiled at Remilia. I thought you had left!”

“Ah, yes, well…”  The vampire mumbled as her servant began to pour her tea.

“She decided to try and sneak attack Reimu instead.”  Patchouli filled in. Sakuya’s hand froze in mid-serve.  “When she was alone.”

“...really.”

“Well, I suppose that’s _one_ way to interpret what I did…”  Remilia shrugged, her hands out for the tea.  Sakuya placed the cup and saucer back on the serving tray, leaving her master’s hands empty.

“I suppose that’s everything then.”  She announced and bowed to the group.

“Um, Sakuya-”

“I shall return later for the empty plates.”

“Y-you didn’t actually give-”

“Until then, farewell.”  The maid disappeared. Remilia continued to stare at the empty space that was once her servant.

“Oh, this is quite delicious.”  Patchouli commented.

“I’d say she really outdid herself with this!”  Alice agreed.

“What.  The hell.”

 

* * *

 

“So, this is where I’ve been sending all those that’ve tried to break in…”  Meiling said to herself as the two entered the Netherworld.

“Oh please…” Marisa rolled her eyes.  “It’s just me; I know you’re a big softie!”

The gate guard grinned at her.  “Well sure, when I know they’re not evil!”  She reached over and place a hand on the broom, balancing herself for a moment before sitting behind the magician.  “But there’ve been plenty who’ve had real bad intentions, and I don’t bother sparing them. They usually think ‘might is right’ anyway, so…”

“Huh!  So you actually do have to fight seriously sometimes?”

“Oh yeah!  But you guys have been doing a real good job at quelling problems, so for the most part it’s been a nice retirement.”

Marisa straightened her back before turning and looking at Meiling.  “Your _what?_ ”

“What, you didn’t think I was only like ten or twenty years older than you, did you?”  She laughed. “I’ve lived a _real_ long time!  I don’t live with them because I feel the need to serve Remilia; I’m there ‘cause it’s quiet for the most part, and my horde is relatively safe there.”

“Y-you have a _horde?!_ ”  The magician exclaimed.  She thought for a moment.  “Can I see it?”

Meiling chuckled.  “Tell ya what: make this thing interesting for me, and I’ll consider letting you see it… and I might even let you keep some of what you try to steal from it!”

“Hey! Woah! Hold on!  I would _never_ steal from your horde!”

“... _really._ ”

“Of course not!  Not on the first visit, anyway.  Gotta use that to map out what’s where, and use the second visit to maximize what you can get!”

The two continued to fly through the Netherworld, over the seemingly endless grove of cherry trees.  As the damaged Saigyou Ayakashi loomed in the distance, Marisa landed in front of the mansion of the ghost princess.  Youmu glanced up from her gardening duties and stared at the two for a moment.

“...although the trees are beautiful, please don’t bring your dates here, Marisa.”  She muttered before returning to her work. Meiling grinned.

“We’re not here on a date, yo.  We wanna know what the fuc-” She paused and cleared her throat.  “Good morning, Miss Konpaku.  We are here to investigate the strange mist surrounding Gensokyo and the parties which have been occurring on a regu-”

“Is that supposed to sound like Reimu?”  Meiling asked, stifling a laugh. “She doesn’t talk like-”

“Don’t interrupt!”  Marisa snapped. Youmu slowly lowered her shears, The strange scene utterly confusing her.  “Shit, what was I saying? Oh, *ahem*, and the parties which have been occurring on a regular basis.  Do you happen to know anything about them?”

“W… what… what are you doing?”  The gardener finally got out. “What is this?  What is happening?”

“Oh my~ do we have guests?”  The door to the mansion slid open, revealing Yuyuko.  Youmu turned her way and bowed.

“It seems to be that way, Lady Yuyuko.  I believe they’re seeking someone to judge their comedy routine, if you could be so kind…”

The Netherworld princess chuckled as the magician glared daggers at the gardener.  “I do hope you’re not trying to pass unwanted duties onto _me_ , Youmu…”

Returning her attention to the nearby hedge in dire need of clipping, Youmu sighed.  “I would never dream of such a thing, Master Yuyuko. Granted, the time it would take to help them perfect their routine would likely cut deep into when I’m supposed to be preparing your lunch, but…”

“Oh goodness, I’m just kidding Youmu!  Geeze… always taking things too far.” The ghost turned her attention back to the visitors once more.  “So, what can we do for you today, Marisa?”

The magician sighed, not wanting to start over.  Straightening her back, she gave a stiff bow. “A beautiful morning to you, Lady Saigyouji.  We are here investigating the odd mist and the alarmingly high number of parties which have been occurring as of late.  My associate and I were wondering if you had any idea of their origins?”

The ghost princess, still smiling, tilted her head slightly and said nothing.

“If you have any information which may be of use, we would be very happy to hear of it.”

“I… I’m sorry dear, I’m… afraid I don’t understand what you’re doing.”

Marisa sighed again.

“Just talk normally!”  Youmu finally chimed in, much further away than before.

“Let the records show,” she started, gritting her teeth, “that I tried.”

Unfurling a massive scroll with the words “ **THE RECORD** ” written at the top, Meiling held it up for all to see.  In the middle of the nearly blank parchment, it read “ **MARISA TRIED.** ”

“...thank you, Meiling.”

The gate guard rolled the scroll back up, smiling.  “I’m a helper!”

Marisa turned her attention back to Yuyuko.  “Anyway, mist. Parties. Non-stop. Know anything?”

“Oh!  I’m afraid not, dear.  Although the mist has been reaching here, I’m afraid I’m still recovering from the last incident.”  She turned her attention to her gardener, nearly at the far end of the mansion. “Youmu, sweetie? Do you know anything about this mist?”

“No.”

“Ya sure?”  The magician asked.

“Yes.”

“Ya don’t think it’s like, a really big ghost or nothin’, do ya?”

“No.”

“...Do you wanna come to the party tomorrow, ya fuckin’ sourpuss?”

“You’re losin’ it, Marisa…” Meiling grinned.

“You could always send your ghost-half if you’re just going to skulk away!”

“I’M TRYING TO WORK!”

“SO AM I!”

Before she could fly off in anger at the gardener, the gate guard picked up the magician from under her arms and smiled at Yuyuko.  “So nothin’ at all, then?” She asked.

“I’m afraid not, dear.  However…” She put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment.  “Yukari does know a lot of strange things and people… it may not be a bad idea to ask her about it.”

“We tried visiting her a few days ago, but we couldn’t fuckin’ find her house.”  Marisa growled. “Went to where she _told_ us to, but what do you know!  The location where a cat, a kitsune, and a fuckin’ know-it-all smarmy _bitch_ live isn’t easy to find!”

Still holding the worked up magician, Meiling lifted the girl higher and whispered in her ear.  Marisa sighed.

“Ah; sorry.  Thank you for the assistance.  If you two want to come on by tomorrow, you’re welcome to do so.”

Yuyuko smiled.  “Thank you, dear.  Is there anything else?”

Marisa stared at the ground for a moment, trying to think.  She looked back up. “...wanna have a quick danmaku match? I need to work off some aggression about all this shit.”

The spectral princess chuckled softly.  “I suppose I could entertain you. But only for a few… it will be time for lunch soon.”

“Tell ya what…” Marisa grinned as her partner set her down.  “You win, and I’ll help Youmu make lunch. If I win, you allow Meiling and I to join ya.”

Taking to the sky, Yuyuko opened her fan.  “Those terms… are acceptable.”

 

* * *

 

“Patche…” The vampire droned,  “I’m booored...”

“Read your book if you’re bored.”  Alice muttered, organizing her notes.

“Don’t wanna~”

“Ah, come on Lady Remilia!”  Reimu smiled. “If you help with the investigation, it’ll go much faster!”

The restrained master of the house let out an over-dramatic groan.  “But this type of research is so _boring_.  Patche, it’s boring.  Why are you doing boring things?”

“Master,” Hourai interrupted, her voice laced with anger, “might I borrow a patrol team?”

Saying nothing, Alice opened the flap on her bag, allowing a dozen dolls to fly out.  They surrounded her eldest intelligent doll.

“Thank you.”  Connecting her conscious with the mindless dolls, the group flew off behind Remilia.

“W-well, how were you planning to do your own research, Lady Remilia?”  The shrine maiden asked. Remilia went quiet for a moment.

“...just beat everyone up until someone confessed, I suppose.”

“T-that- you can’t just do that!”

“Shhh…”

“Eeep! S-sorry, Miss Alice…”

“Goodness, Reimu… you’re so noisy… shouting in a library,” the two mages slowly lowered their books and stared at the vampire with flat gazes as she continued to chastise the girl, “ _what_ were you thinking?  I mean, I… uh…”

Remilia looked around as she realized her chair was being tipped back.  She windmilled her arms to regain balance, but her bindings prevented her from moving enough.  With a shout, she fell over.

Hourai and the twelve dolls floated down, staring at Remilia’s face.

“Leave the kid alone.”

The vampire blinked.

“The puppeteer is still on the top of my shitlist.  But you? A close second.”

“Good to know I’ll never need to worry unless you decide to settle for second-best.” Hourai muttered, shaking her head.  She dismissed the dolls back to Alice as she sat back down on Reimu’s shoulder.

 

“Alright, once we analyze this sample of the mist, we shall return to the shrine…” Patchouli sighed.  “And I shall be certain to bring a proper pillow, this time…”

With the bottle of mist in the middle of the table, the librarian activated the magnification and sensory suite she had prepared.  The two magicians and the vampire looked at the projection above.

“...there, you see?  It is simply air. While unusual, it is not supernatural in nature.”

“Odd… I could have sworn…”

Remilia pointed at the puppeteer.  “Ha-ha, you were wrong~”

“U-um, Miss Patchouli?”  Reimu called out.

“What is it, dear?”

The shrine maiden pointed at the bottle.  The mist had coalesced to the corner of the bottle, out of the point of identification.  The purple-clad magician frowned.

“...hrm.”  Moving one of the holographic runes, she moved the focus point of the spell.  As it began to close in on the mist, the mist suddenly creeped around the targeting point.  “...well then.”

Remilia pointed at the librarian.  “Ha-ha, you were wrong~”

“Be silent Remi, the adults are working.”

“Pft.”

“Alice, I am going to try and track this.  Please keep an eye on the readings.”

“Ready when you are.”

Taking a deep breath, Patchouli placed both hands on the spell matrix and began moving the focal point.

“Starting to see somethin- damn.  The picture wasn’t clear, but that certainly wasn’t mist by the readings.”

“Increasing gravity…” The point swiveled around towards the mist; it continued to move out of the way.

“Getting colour… what _is_ that?”

“You are _not_ getting away…”

“That’s- I think it’s living… no, I think _they_ are living!”

“Miss Patchouli, it’s moving a lot more violently in there…!”

“Increasing gravity; it is almost locked down…!”

“What the-”

“Look out!”

The bottle shattered as the mist rammed into the side one last time.  Swirling around the table, it flew towards the door and left. Reimu lowered her arms as they looked at the shattered glass bottle; the spell matrix collapsed, leaving the library quiet once more.

Patchouli looked up at Alice.

“...I would like to rescind my earlier statement on the lack of importance concerning the mist.”

 

* * *

 

“So…” Mima sighed as she took a bite of her dinner,  “you learned…”

“The mist is not actually mist, but… sentient.”  Alice answered. “‘Though I suppose I might be assuming too much; it might be form of construct, or an extension of someone, or-”

“Right right right,” She waved her hand, interrupting her.  “So did the vampire do anything?”

The three exchanged glances.

“She tried to… solve things her own way.” The puppeteer answered diplomatically.  “She was dealt with.”

Not in the mood to dance with words, the shrine’s resident spectre turned to her niece.  “Reimu, what did she do?”

“She- um, er, she… she tried to um, solve the incident.” Though she looked down at her food, she could still feel Mima’s gaze on her.  “W-with um… with viol- with the spell card rules.”

“...and…?”

“Sh… she um… she t-tried to um… start with me.”

Mima closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  Alice put her hand on her shoulder before the ghost could get up.

“She was dealt with.” She repeated.

“I’m pretty sure you didn’t use enough stakes.”

“I’m fairly certain Patchouli admonishing her in front of Sakuya did more than enough damage, seeing as how the maid refused to serve her after that.”

The purple-haired magician nodded.  “It was within earshot of Koakuma as well, so I believe it is safe to say Remi’s bed will be quite lonely tonight.”

To her own surprise, Mima actually chuckled.  “Arright, fair enough. You still should have staked her, but...”

“Auntie, no…!”

“At any rate…” The ghost turned her attention to her daughter, “Anything from beyond the veil?”

Marisa shook her head.  “Just that Yuyuko is still recovering and Youmu is much nicer when you’re helping her with something.”

“That was nice of ya to help her out with food, even though ya won.” Meiling chimed in.  The human magician grinned.

“Well, I saw no reason she should be punished by having to make more food… plus, it was fun.”  She turned her attention back to her mother. “The only thing they suggested was talk to Yukari, but…”

“We can’t reach the fuck.” Mima sighed.  “Well, we’ll probably see her tomorrow, so I guess we’ll just ask then.  Unfortunately that probably means this’ll go on a while longer, but…”

The shrine maiden smiled.  “At least as far as incidents go, this one is rather benign!”

“Yeah, there is that.”

 

* * *

 

“Arright, everything set up?”  Mima asked as she waved her hand, lighting the torches.  Reimu and Marisa set the tables with the food made by Alice and Sakuya while Patchouli and Meiling sat at the shrine, passing their drinking dish back and forth.

“We got this bottle on lockdown, don’t worry!”  Meiling grinned. The spectre sighed.

“You can always help out, you know…”

“We are assisting by removing ourselves from the work area, providing less obstruction.”  Patchouli took another sip. “Also, by making certain people will not be too inebriated tonight.”

“Reimu, please make better friends in the future.”

“S-sorry, auntie!”

“Don’t apolog-”  Mima covered her face and sighed.  The drawn-out nature of the incident was beginning to wear on her.  “Just… keep doing things, I’ll be back.”

Floating into the shrine, Mima closed the door behind herself as she stood next to the table with the alcohol.  She knew it would only be a matter of minutes before others began to show up. Removing a glass pipe from the extra dimensional space within her sleeves, Mima lit the herb inside and held her breath.

“It’s BYOB, you know.”  She breathed as she felt the gap open behind her.  There was a familiar chuckle.

“Oh, don’t worry; Ran has the bottle.”  Yukari smiled as she stepped down. “Keeping busy, I assume?”

“That’s my line; they’re tried to contact you, you know.”  The mage stared at her. “Where have you been?”

“I told you to go there when you had information on a god or your progress on her training for barrier repair…”  The smiled faded from the sage’s face. “…and I have been looking into the former.”

“You should have left someone, still.”

“I did,” Yukari looked away, displeased.  “Chen.”

“...ah.”

“She still lacks discipline.  Subject for another time, however.”

Mima sighed and took another hit.  “So, what have _you_ found, then?”

“Given that the Hakurei God is gone, I was thinking the best bet would be to find Okina, but she sti-”

“ _Don’t you fucking dare._ ”

Yukari flinched as she felt a massive disruption spread throughout the room.  The undead magician was suddenly right in front of her, her face contorted in anger.

“You keep that soulthief away fr **om my family, do you understand?!** ”  Cracks in her skin spread out from her eyes, unholy energies began to pour forth.

“Do you honestly think I like the idea myself?  This is for Gensokyo’s surviv-”

“ **I will destroy Gensokyo _myself_ before I let her try to take my daughter or my niece.  Do _not_ doubt me on this.** ”

“We are getting very close to having no choice in the matter. If-”

“ **There is _always_ a choice… until she takes you.**”  Mima suddenly gripped Yukari’s throat with a clawed hand.  The sage youkai blinked in surprise, finding her powers no longer working.  “ **Do not bring her here.  She is not welcome, she is not allowed.”** She pulled Yukari closer. **“If you allow her to take my kin, I will make sure you see everything you’ve built be reduced to ashes.  I will make you beg for an end that will never truly come. Keep. Her. A W A Y.** ”

The door to the shrine slid open.  Reimu gasped as the two looked in her direction.

“Is something-?”

Before Meiling could finish her question, the shrine maiden quickly stepped inside and closed the door.  Mima slowly let go of the sage youkai as she could see the fear in her niece’s eyes. A loud burst of static rang out as Yukari finally forced a portal open before disappearing.  The lich looked away.

“ **Please le** ave, Reimu.”  She whispered.  “I will be out in a few.”

The shrine maiden said nothing, slowly walking up to her aunt.  Mima turned back towards her, her skin still cracked open.

“I… can’t control this, Reimu.  Please leave.”

“You’re hurting.”  She whispered, still approaching.  The lich noticed the doll still riding her shoulder, pulling at the shrine maiden’s ear.

“She’s _burning_ ,” Hourai growled, “pull back!”

“Don’t- don’t touch me, Reimu! I can’t-”

Reimu reached out for her aunt, stopping just before her fingers touched the lich’s robes.  Taking a deep breath, the shrine maiden sat down next to Mima, motioning to the ground beside herself.

“Wh- why-”

“You are always there for me when I hurt, physically, or emotionally.”  Reimu smiled sadly as the ghost drifted down. “I may not be able to hold you right now, but at the very least, I can make sure you know you’re not alone.  Deep down, you know you’re not, but when you’re in as much pain as I can see you are, sometimes… sometimes the mind becomes our enemy.”

Mima stared at the ground; the cracks were slowly closing, though energy still seeped and sputtered through.

“I’m… afraid.”  She finally whispered.  “I’m afraid I may not be able to do enough… to allow you two to live how you should be able to.”

“How… how could you think that?”  Reimu asked; Mima lifted her head, looking at the girl.  “Auntie, you took in Marisa when her old family kicked her out, and both of you took me in when you found me in the shrine all alone.  You accompanied us on our first big incidents, and you’ve been guiding us since the spell card rules came into being. You traded your freedom for us!”

“But Gensokyo is still so close to collapse, it’s still not enough!”

“So what?”

The spectre blinked and pulled back, giving the petite shrine maiden an incredulous look.  Reimu pressed on.

“Auntie, even though I don’t know all the details like you, Lady Yukari, and Marisa do, I can tell this problem is bigger than just us.  Maybe long ago my family could take care of it by themselves, but they had a bunch of people and a god backing them. But they’re not here anymore.  There’s just me from that group, and they didn’t leave me instructions.”

She reached out and cautiously touched her aunt.  Significant heat still poured from her being, but no longer at deadly levels.  Scooting closer, Reimu hugged her.

“What we need to do… is keep looking for more friends.  The more people we find, the more we can do for the land.  You said saving or extending a life through sacrifice of others can corrupt a person.  The same would be true for Gensokyo; if we have to kill those we love, or let them die to stay here… then what’s the point?”

“It’s… not that easy for me.”

“Sure it is.”  Reimu smiled as she felt her aunt begin to return the embrace.  “It’s just that you’re a magician, so you like to overcomplicate things.”

Mima could hear a snort from the doll on her niece’s shoulder.

“Cheeky little kid…” The spectre started to smile.  “I suppose you already have counterpoints ready if I tried to argue that, don’t you?”

“Well, she does spend a lot of time around at _least_ four mages…” Hourai chimed in.  Mima chuckled.

 

* * *

 

“Lady Yakumo?”

Yukari turned around to see the tall puppeteer approaching her.

“Miss… Margatroid, was it?” She tilted her head.  The sage youkai realized she had yet to investigate the puppeteer properly; she shuffled the thought to the back of her mind.  “What can I do for you, dear?”

A few dolls spun around the two as Alice kept her eyes locked on Yukari.  “I heard you had a… disagreement of sorts with Mima; is everything alright?”

“Oh?  And who told you th-” The sage youkai suddenly winced.  “That damned red doll of yours, that’s right…”

“Her name is Hourai; she’s sentient and sapient, so please don’t take your aggression out on her.”

“I’ll remember that; so, what are you after?”

“When powerhouses clash, it’s rarely good for anyone.  I want to know what can be done to help keep things civil between everyone.”

“Thank you, but your help is not required here.”  Yukari turned to leave.

“Are you sure about that?”  Alice asked; the sage youkai paused.  “From what I’ve learned, you hold Gensokyo very dear to you, but apparently things are at a critical level.  A lot of what can be done to protect it hinges on Marisa and Reimu, but they will defer to Mima on anything they’re uncertain of.”

Alice approached once more as Yukari slowly turned towards her, eyes narrowing.  “From what I can tell, you have a lot of information and power which will be needed to keep things running smoothly, not to mention to bring Gensokyo out of danger of collapsing.  But right now, you’re viewed with a lot of hostility; having someone to help present your side may help change their opinion of you, and will benefit Gensokyo as a whole.”

“And what are you getting out of this?”

The puppeteer shrugged.  “I get to continue to live here without worry of the land collapsing, and I help out those three.”  She paused, considering something, and smiled. “I’m certain there will be a number of things I’ll learn from it as well; both you and Mima are far older than I am, there’s bound to be things which I’ll either pick up, or have taught to me.”

“If I do agree to this, it won’t make you any friends, you realize.”  Yukari stated, idly spinning her parasol. “If anything, it may cost you some.”

“I don’t think it’ll come to that, but I appreciate your concern.  Besides, it’s not as if I’m going to be your mouthpiece; if I have a concern with your plans, I’ll tell you as such.  If there’s something that needs to be done without their realization, you’re still going to have to tell me _why_ beforehand.  I care about Gensokyo, but I care about them more… and I won’t sacrifice them.”

The sage youkai continued to stare at Alice.  “...fair enough. I will consider your proposal.”

“Perhaps we should start with something a little less dire.”

“The parties?”

“And the mist.”

Yukari grinned.  “Oho, you noticed it, then.”

“Yes!  What- _who_ are they?”

“Simply a troubled child, though they have no ill will.  Although,” Yukari grinned to herself, slowly spinning her parasol, “they _are_ troubled…”

“I’m afraid I’m not following you here.”

“Think of it this way…” The two began to walk, “what happens when you put a drop of blood into a lake?”

Alice thought for a moment.  “Fish gather to it, though I feel that might not be what you mean here.”

“Right on both accounts, as this lake has no fish.  Here,” she reached out and began to close her hand, “let’s restore this ‘drop of blood’ to its original form…”

The mist began to gather.

 

* * *

 

Mima slowly pulled away from Reimu and smiled softly at her.  The turmoil within still churned, but no longer had a grip on her mind.  “You… have been such a gift to us.” She whispered. Reimu grinned as she helped her back up.

“I’m glad to have you with me as well, Auntie.”

“Let’s… head out and try to enjoy the festivities.”

“Okay!”

Taking Reimu by the hand, Mima opened the door.  The two could see everyone had gathered into a ring, with Alice and Yukari standing in the center, apparently talking to someone.  Patchouli, still sitting on the steps, looked at the spectre.

“Ah, excellent.  Do you have any soybeans?”

Reimu shook her head.  “I don’t think so; sorry Miss Patchouli.  We can get some for next time, though!”

“Damn.”

The gears turned in Mima’s head.  “Soybeans… soybeans…” She sighed as she touched her temple.  “Hells fucking bells… is it…?”

“An oni, yes.”

“I’m different than you guys,” the two heard an unfamiliar voice “resident of the demon w- oof!  Did- did you just throw a d-”

As they approached the clearing, an explosion rocked the shrine grounds.  Mima could see Alice glaring at a small ginger-haired horned girl, her face black with soot.  Two orange eyes popped open before squinting up at the puppeteer.

“Of course you realize…” The little oni coughed, “this means war.”

“Yep.”  Alice pulled out a spell card.  “ _Dolls War._ ”

“ _Wait, no_.”  Despite the girl’s protest, she quickly found herself overwhelmed with dolls as Alice laid into her with magic.

“Aaah!”  Reimu cried as Mima hoisted her up.  She reached out her hands towards the clearing.  “S-stop that, you two! This is supposed to be a party!”

The puppeteer glanced up at the shrine maiden and grinned, clearly embarrassed.  “Ah! Sorry, Reimu.”

The tiny oni picked herself up off the ground, pulling lances out of herself.  “Wait, are we stopping?” She asked. “Come on…!”

Alice looked down at her.  “Listen to the shrine maiden, now.”

Still holding onto Reimu, Mima barged into the center.

“Dammit, Suika!  What are you doing here?  Shouldn’t you be in hell?”

“Shouldn’t you?”  The oni sneered.

“ _Auntie!_ ”

“What?”  She looked at her niece as she set her down.  “Oh! No, sweetie, she’s an oni; that’s where they live.”

“O-oh!”  The shrine maiden turned to the horned girl and bowed.  “Welcome to the Hakurei Shrine, miss! My name is Reimu; please enjoy the festivities!”

“Hey, thanks kiddo!  I’m Suika Ibuki!”

“Er, Reimu…”  Alice walked over to the shrine maiden.  “She’s the culprit behind the constant parties…”

“Huh.”  Reimu scratched her chin as she thought.  “...if she’s the reason for the party tonight… wouldn’t that make her the guest of honour?”

Off in the distance, they could hear Marisa cackle.

“Suika,” Mima sighed, “why have you been doing this?”

The oni took a swig off her gourd.  “Well, with the long wi-”

“I’ve already lost interest,” the spirit interrupted, “knock it off.”

“Hmph!”

Reimu glanced back and forth between the two.  She leaned towards Suika.

“ _I’d_ like to know, Miss Ibuki.”

“‘Miss Ibuki’? _‘Miss Ibuki’?_  Kid, I’m the Tiny Night Parade of a HUNDRED DEMONS!”  Her body began to grow in size, towering over the shrine, “I’M NO MERE ‘MISS IBUKI!’”  Quick as a flash, her body shrunk back down to its initial size. “So, ya know, call me Suika.”

“Oh, okay then Miss Suika!”

“N-no,”  She frowned up at the girl,  “just… Suika.”

“Let it go, Suika…” Mima murmured.  “Trust me on this one.”

Letting out a sigh, the oni straightened up and put her fists on her hips.  “Alright shorty, listen-”

“Are you _really_ sure you should be calling her that?”  Hourai asked.

“Holy crap, a talking doll!”  Suika blinked.

“That’s it!” Mima threw her hands up in the air and turned back towards the shrine.  “I’m off to get my vaudeville hook…”

“Anyway,” she took another swig from her gourd, “with the long winter, there weren’t many flower viewings or parties, ‘cause… ya know, winter.  Hard to view flowers in a blanket of snow and dead trees.”

“It is!”

“Yeah, see, you get it!  So I decided to gather everyone to make up for it!”

“Neat!” Reimu smiled.  “How did you do it, though?”

“I can gather things.  It’s my power! I can gather stuff, like… booze… or alcohol…”

“A-aren’t those the sa-”

“Or I can gather spirits, or people!”  The oni threw her tiny arms wide. “I can gather anything…!”

“Can ya gather the trash after each of the parties you’ve been causing?”  Marisa called out. As she turned to answer the magician, a shepherd’s crook extended from outside the crowd and yanked the oni away from the clearing.

“Incident’s over!”  Mima called out, hauling Suika onto her shoulder, “Back to the party, everyone.”

 

“You’ve had your parties, arright?  So just knock this shit off, okay? _Knock it off._ ”  Though the party continued on outside, most of the attendees were inebriated enough to not notice every one of the hosts disappear into the shrine.

“Aw, come on!”  The oni whined. “Don’t be such a wet blanket, just a few mo-aguhulagulagug-!”

The spectre grit her teeth as she shook Suika by the shoulders.  “ _No.  More.  Parties._ ”

“Wh-wh-wh-wha-a-a-a-at-t-t-t a-a-a-re you going to do, sic your cream puff shrine maiden on me?”  She sneered as Mima finally stopped shaking her. “Even if she had the strength to arm wrestle a wet noodle, I’m pretty sure- owowow those’re my horns, please let-”

“ _I WILL REDUCE YOU TO SPELL COMPONENTS IF YOU MAKE HER CRY."_

“Uhhh…” The little oni stared into Mima’s eyes, the spectre’s pupils constricted to lines.  “Yukari…?”

“I’ve already angered her enough today, dear…”  The sage youkai slowly floated away from the two, “and I already know not to make sport of the little one right in front of her, either…”

Marisa pat her master on the back.  “Don’t worry Ma, Reimu’s not gonna cry ‘cause of that.  Though really, she’s built more like a wafer stick than a cream puff…”

“I just don’t get that hungry…” Reimu mumbled.

“It’s okay, sis!”  She grinned at her sister before turning her attention back to the oni.  While her smile remained, the warmth left her eyes. “At any rate, she doesn’t need the strength to wrestle an oni, ‘cause she has _me._ ”

“Oh yeah?”  Suika grinned.  “Think you can take me, mage?”

“‘Think’?  No. I _know_ I can take you.”

“Oh yeah?”  She moved closer to Marisa.

“Yeah.”  The magician took a step closer.

“ _Oh yeah?_ ”

“ _Yeah_.”

Suika looked straight up at Marisa; the magician leaned down, inches away.

“Prove it, then!”

Marisa moved closer, her face in a smug smile.

“No.”  The magician stood up straight and folded her arms.

“What?!”  The oni stared incredulously.

“Did I stutter?  You heard me.”

The horned girl sputtered before folding her arms and looking away.  “Whatever! You’re just all talk anyway…”

Marisa laughed.  “‘All talk’? Bitch, _talk_ to anyone at the party and you’ll find out that I’m the toughest fucker around here!  But…” Her grin grew in size, “you already knew that, didn’t you? Yeah… you’ve been _all around_ Gensokyo… you know what I’ve done, and you know I’m the only one capable of giving you the fight you’re looking for.  But you’ll never~ get it~”

“Marisa…!”  The shrine maiden tugged on her sleeve.  “You’re going to make her cry…!”

The magician glanced at the oni; Suika glared up at her, shaking in anger.  Though she tried, Marisa was unable to suppress a snicker. Before the horned girl could take a step towards her antagonist, Reimu stepped in front, grabbing her hand.

“We really have enjoyed the parties Miss Suika,” she smiled wistfully, “but they’ve also put a drain on our food expenses and we don’t get too many donations here without a god.”

“O-oh, well I uh…”

“If you’re lonely-”

“Reimu, no-” Mima started.

“Please don’t-” Marisa continued.

“-you can always visit us without a party!” The shrine maiden concluded.  The master and student sighed. Suika looked down, twirling a foot on the ground.

“W-well, I mean, if it wouldn’t be a bother, I’d… you know, like that.”

“Of course!”  Reimu smiled. The other two let out a groan.

 

The party continued on long into the night, until the guests began to go home or pass out.  With the incident concluded, Meiling helped Patchouli back home to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, while Alice and Yukari helped clean up the shrine grounds, and moved those out cold closer to the shrine itself.

“Headin’ back, then?”  Mima asked as Cirno was plopped down on top of the offertory box.

“I believe so.”  Alice smiled. “I’ve been away from home for longer than I should have, and-” she glanced at the sage youkai, “-we have other things to discuss.”

The spectre glanced at the other tall blonde before turning her attention back to the puppeteer.  “Hmph. Picked up a new friend, didja?”

“Business for now, but I wouldn’t mind another friendship coming from it.  However, if all that comes from it is mediation,” she shrugged, “then that’s still good.”

“...ah.”  Mima sighed, realizing what she meant.  “Arright, I’ll grant you that’s a good idea…”

“Mm.  At any rate, have a good night; I’ll probably come by tomorrow to make lunch.”  Alice bowed before walking over to Yukari. The sage youkai gave the spirit a light bow before the two disappeared into a gap.

Letting out a tired sigh, Mima looked over who still remained at the shrine while she waited; she knew her daughter would come looking for her before long.

“...Ma?”  Marisa called out as she rounded the corner.  Mima smiled and calmly motioned her over.

“Is Reimu asleep?”  She asked quietly. The magician nodded.

“Just a bit ago; what’s up?”

Placing her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, Mima touched her forehead to Marisa’s.  In the magician’s mind, the image of a blonde woman in an orange tabard rested on a throne.  In one of her hands was a drum with a skin polished to a mirror-like sheen. As her closed eyes began to move, the image disappeared before they opened.

“Do not speak of her to anyone.”  She instructed in a calm tone. “If you ever encounter her… do not agree to any of her requests or demands.”  Mima leaned closer. “Not even if she takes Reimu hostage.”

Before Marisa could speak, Mima put a finger to her lips.  “You know what your sister means to me. You know… I would never make such a demand lightly.  Just… trust me when I say that death is an unquestionably better choice than to be her servant.”  She took her hand away. “Just like me, you value your freedom, your ability to choose… to exist. That one will take that all away… forever.  Death, however, would simply be starting over… if we don’t just outright cheat it.”

Her daughter nodded solemnly.

“With any luck, we won’t see her for a long time, if ever.”  Mima sighed. “But people always search for her. I… want you to be informed with what I dare share about her without drawing her attention.”

Marisa wet her lips.  “If this… person does get ahold of Reimu… what should I do?”

The spectre stared at her daughter.

“...whatever it takes… to keep her from agreeing… to anything she says.”  She finally answered. “Whatever you have to do… I will not fault you.”

Marisa took a step away from her mother.

“I…”

“I hate that I have to say such things, Marisa.”  She stared at her daughter, her eyes glossy. “And I truly, _truly_ hope it never comes to that.  But I believe her to be _that_ dangerous.”

Mima held out her arms.  Marisa sighed and hugged her mother.

“If the encounter is where I can reach,”  She spoke softly as she hugged her daughter, “I will do whatever it takes to keep the two of you safe.  Even if it angers Yukari.”

“Thank you.”

“Now…”  Mima pulled away and smiled at Marisa, “since we’re done with that bit of unpleasantness, let’s try to get to sleep, even though neither of us are going to be able to now.”

Despite her mood, the magician chuckled.  “Come on, I think Alice left some herb for us…”  She murmured as they linked arms and moved towards the bedroom.

 

With another incident dealt with, peace settled over Gensokyo once more.  The residents of the Hakurei Shrine slept, dreaming of what the next day would bring.

 


End file.
